TED Talkin’: Malcolm Gladwell shares what he got wrong with The Tipping Point

Malcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, was a bestseller—a popular book that discussed the elements of virality well before things “went viral” online. The sub-title reads “How little things can make a big difference” and explores how and why trends in fashion, culture and life come and go.

With Gladwell’s new book on the horizon, Revenge of the Tipping Point, he revisits topics from his original book. And Malcolm is now publicly addressing a controversial theory he credited towards reducing crime in NYC called “Broken Windows Theory”. 

“Broken windows is the theory that Small crimes are invitations for large crimes – if you let people get away with little things then you are signaling that it’s okay to cross the line into bigger things. So what do you do? You don’t let people get away with the little things.” NYPD’s harsh interpretation of this theory in the 90s and 00s led to harmful “stop and frisk” policies that largely affected communities of color. 

While Malcom never explicitly mentions “stop and frisk”, his direct linking of “Broken Windows” to the reduction of crime in the 90s and early 00s led many to false conclusions—that would later be disproved in a landmark case in 2013. 

He returns to the TED stage to apologize and take accountability.

What’s in the Spice Cabinet?

Watch the TED Talk

• “The Tipping Point I Got Wrong”

Tune into our TENTH ever episode for a Tipping Point book review

• Listen here!

Malcolm’s podcast, Revisionist History, also revisits this subject

• Listen here

An amazing org cleaning up vacant buildings

• Clean and Green Philly

For the first time ever…

• We don’t think a walkout song is appropriate for an apology presentation.